Northcape Music

The elusive next album

2012-01-08T04:18:00.001-08:00

I am currently going through another difficult period in the creation of my own music (in fact, it rarely seems to be easy!). I have ideas, and some good tracks (at least 5 or 6, probably more) that I think deserve to be released and hopefully will be, one way or another. Unfortunately, somehow this collection of tracks doesn't form the type of coherent whole that is needed to release an album. Some of the ideas come from quite different places from each other, both in terms of sound and inspiration. I know that some people would argue that doesn't matter, particularly in the context of the internet, but as I've written in a previous blog, I am a big fan of the album format. I still listen almost exclusively to full albums or EPs, and don't want to give up on the idea of releasing something that builds connections between the different tracks to form something deeper and more complex. This is the real challenge, and I think giving up on doing this would be a step backward for the Northcape project as a whole and not really worthwhile. I think everything that I have previously completed has achieved a coherence across each release to a greater or lesser extent, if not perfectly, and I don't want to release music just for the sake of getting another entry in the discography. However for any new album to work, I need not only a strong idea or overall concept, but for the idea to inspire an album structure that makes sense to me, and not only contains tracks that I have already but forms the inspiration for new ones and suggests how they can be arranged. This is very hard, and at the moment, it hasn't really happened, despite having something that may well be the concept behind the next album. Trying to write tracks in a style to suit tracks that have already been written isn't really working. Perhaps I need to take a step back from it rather than force the concept too much and potentially put obstacles in the way of producing new music.

http://www.northcapemusic.co.uk/news/

Free download links fixed

2011-11-19T10:06:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the broken links - just to let you know they should now be fixed (I have tested all of them in Firefox and they worked). First - join the Northcape mailing list here! . Next, return to the same page, and log in using the password that will be emailed to you, this will give access to a page of exclusive free downloads from 'Captured From Static', 'Detach', 'Letter to Nowhere' and other releases, and also some remixes! You'll also obviously be kept up to date on new Northcape releases and other news, but there is normally less than one mailing a month. Obviously you can also unsuscribe (should you wish) at any time! Cheers, NC

http://www.northcapemusic.co.uk/news/

Why make music?

2011-09-08T14:37:00.000-07:00

Sometimes this is important for me to remember! Given the work that goes into producing music, it can be hard to deal with when a track or release either falls unexpectedly flat or gets negative feedback. Ignoring negative feedback definitely isn't the answer - there is always much more to learn. However, I think neither is dwelling on it, which I find easy to do. Music can't be reduced to following a set of rules, and every listener has their own perspective and is approaching any track from a different angle. The important thing is to move on, and focus on moving the music forward. Over the time I've been releasing music on the internet I've found on a number of occasions, with hindsight, that I have decieved myself about aspects of a track, particularly when there is pressure to release something, and this can be true of both technical aspects and also the overall impression that a track gives. Although perfectionism can be painful, I'm constantly learning that it's best not to ignore any doubt, even if it doesn't seem important at the time. Some people can work to deadlines, but I think good quality music can't be rushed. Personally, I need to step back from it before releasing it, and if it's not absolutely 100%, if there is anything that I feel isn't quite right, it shouldn't be released. This can be a difficult lesson to learn- but I think the most important thing is- don't compromise. At the end of the day, (particularly given the state of the music industry!), and whatever it costs to make, this is not a career, and I make music for self-expression above anything else. If people enjoy it, or even better, occasionally buy it*, that is a great thing, and makes me feel that it is more worthwhile, but it's not why I make music. For a long time when I started no-one heard any tracks, I composed music because I enjoyed it and for no other reason. Music can take me somewhere else when I'm making it even more effectively than when I'm listening. I think that what [...]

http://www.northcapemusic.co.uk/news/

New, completely redesigned website now up!

2011-08-31T14:55:00.001-07:00

The new website is now up, after a few days hard work! It has been completely redesigned and rewritten as I was never very happy with the previous version, which was a bit hacked together to get it to work. The main improvements made are:

Whole website is now coded in wordpress, which should make it much easier for me to keep up to date. I have put some effort into trying to code and structure it properly!

The website now contains a hopefully fairly comprehensive record of all Northcape releases, credits, tracklistings and other information. I have filled in some gaps from the previous website.

The website should also be easier to navigate around! All of the releases are linked together with streams, mp3 links and credit information. I have put quite a bit of thought into how it might be used and I hope that this comes across in the final result.

Finally, but not least, new design and new colour scheme!

Some features are the same- I have kept the guestbook and the mailing list functionality, and the free download page is still there- but updated (you might find a few more mp3s!) I'd very much appreciate if you can try to navigate around, try to find any broken links, and leave any comments or feedback. If you want to click on the facebook 'like' and google +1 buttons, they are on the bottom left...

Cheers, NC

http://www.northcapemusic.co.uk/news/

In praise of the album

2011-08-01T04:07:00.000-07:00

I'm writing this blog in response to a recent blog 'Eclecticism and what makes a good album' by the electronica artist Dementio13 on his website. The blog started me thinking about the reason why the album still exists in an age of digital music; the point is made several times in the blog and subsequent comments that the album isn't as important as it used to be. When its so easy to pick and choose, download only your favourite tracks, and play them in whichever context you want, what is the point of an artist putting out an 'album' rather than just 'a collection of tracks'? I'm going to make the declaration straight away that I don't think I'm ever going to stop listening to albums as albums. I very rarely put my ipod on shuffle, when I decide to listen to an artist, I generally listen to one of their albums or EPs, front to back. This definitely makes me a more demanding listener - an artist can have great tracks, but if they fail to put an album together without a few tracks that need to be skipped, either due to the quality or due to them being completely out of place in the collection, I'm likely to listen to the artist much less than I would otherwise. I'm aware that I may be unusual in listening like this, but I don't think I'm unique, and the important point I want to make here is that I feel I get more out of the music by listening to it this way. This might be one reason why my favourite artists are all good at this. I get frustrated with them when an album is just that bit too long, or contains a few weak tracks that should really have been left out. People can of course listen to music however they want, as a random shuffled collection of tracks or whatever. But as a fan of the album, I think they are losing something fairly significant by doing that if the artist has released the tracks as a coherent whole. The best albums really are a lot more than [...]

http://www.northcapemusic.co.uk/news/

Emerging Organisms 4

2011-07-23T13:47:00.001-07:00

I'm pleased to confirm that Northcape has a new and exclusive track '1am Transition' to be released on the forthcoming Emerging Organisms 4 compilation, which will be out on August 9th on Tympanik Audio. This is the 4th volume of a critically acclaimed compilation series focusing on IDM and atmospheric electronica and this release includes tracks by Hecq, Port Royal and Bola as well as Sun Sea Sky's Boy Is Fiction. "29 tracks, over 140 minutes of music on 2 compact discs only (no digital) with stunning artwork by Unshape (Kostas K. / Subheim) and sonic mastering by Mobthrow.". It's now available for pre-order. The Northcape track appearing on this compilation is something I'm very happy with - deep late-night material - and won't be released anywhere else.

http://www.northcapemusic.co.uk/news/

New review of 'Alluvial' EP from NetMusic Life Blog

2011-06-15T10:16:00.001-07:00

(In Italian): Non nuovo agli ambienti netlabels, Northcape, artista autodidatta inglese proveniente da Warwickshire ritorna con questo intenso e fluido "Alluvial EP" rilasciato dalla lettone Elpa. Un EP ispirato dalla geologia e dalla preistoria umana, dalla difficilmente immaginabile lentezza con cui il nostro pianeta ha impiegato ad evolversi. Siamo in zone ambient, in cui i lunghi accordi di tastiere si perdono nello spazio infinito inseguendo nordiche correnti d'aria. Northcape riesce a trasmettere l'idea di un mondo precivilizzato galleggiando tra riverberi ipnotici e sovrapposizioni d'arpeggi (Water Over Flint) in cui i pochi elementi che potrebbero ricondurci alla nostra caotica era sono i battiti ritmici elettronici. "Doorways Facing East" è un piccolo esempio in cui l'ambient può contenere anche elementi di tensione, un quieto risveglio disturbato, un amara consapevolezza che la strada compiuta finora è stata cancellata da tremendi e indelebili eventi ambientali. Ben rappresentato dalla foto di copertina, "Alluvial EP" è acqua che scorre, nitida sorgente di emozioni e sensazioni che Northcape sa trasmettere con semplicità ed onestà. (Rough English translation- apologies for any errors, due to a combination of myself and google!): Not new to the environment of netlabels, Northcape , an English self-taught artist from Warwickshire returns with this intense and fluid "Alluvial EP" released by the Latvian Elpa netlabel. An EP inspired by the geology and human prehistory, from the hard-to-imagine slowness that our planet has taken to evolve. We are in ambient areas, where long arrangements of keyboards are lost in the infinite space chasing northern air currents. Northcape is able to convey the idea of a pre-civilisation, floating world with overlaps between reflections and hypnotic arpeggios (Water Over Flint) in which the few elements that might lead us back to our era are chaotic rhythmic electronic beats. "Doorways Facing East" is a small e [...]

http://www.northcapemusic.co.uk/news/

Alluvial EP out on Elpa music ~Thursday 9th June (free d/l!)

2011-06-02T14:10:00.001-07:00

The new 4-track "Alluvial" EP will be released by Latvian netlabel Elpa Music for FREE download around Thursday June 9th. The catalogue number is Elpa70 and you can find the label here: http://www.elpamusic.lv/ The 'Alluvial' EP is inspired by geology, human prehistory and the idea of 'deep time' (I was reading about some of these subjects when producing the EP!) I have tried to express a sense of scale, which is in contrast to the more personal landscapes that inspire much of Northcape's material. The result is this EP which contains four slow-building but still melodic tracks with a more ambient feel. Some of the tracks are inspired by the idea of human habitation in the distant past, and others by geological space- the release image is pretty much a landscape I was imagining when I was writing the tracks. The sound is definitely an exploration of new ground - expect something a bit different from my normal approach to melodic electronica- but I think these tracks still keep a recognisable sound. Thanks to Elpa for releasing this EP, they have released some great material in the past and I'm glad that this release will be on there.

http://www.northcapemusic.co.uk/news/

Working in isolation

2011-03-03T12:33:00.001-08:00

Recently I decided to put a 'draft' track up on soundcloud, it's the first time for a while I've done this. In the past I put most things up on music forums and learned a lot from doing that, but since being signed (to a small independent label, but a good one), I decided to try to take a more 'professional' approach to my music. I'm not quite sure what that really means, but part of what I think it means to avoid releasing anything on the internet apart from the final version, when it finally comes out through the label. The idea is obviously that people then only ever hear your music at its best, and never hear all the mistakes on the way. However this is a tough thing to do, and not just because you get quite impatient waiting for something to finally be released! In my day-to-day life I don't have access to the quality of feedback available in various places on the internet, and I've been finding myself building up a number of unfinished of tracks which I've been unsure are really 'good enough' for release, either in terms of the basic ideas or in terms of how I've executed them... In the past I would have just finished these tracks, put them up on a forum, and judged from the feedback whether they were potentially releasable as part of an album or EP, but without this I've been struggling. Perfectionism is part of it, and confidence is another part. So I can work towards the next full release (whatever or whenever that is, I don't yet know) I've decided I basically need to get more tracks finished, and if there's something I really can't judge, I just need to put it out there somewhere and try to get a second opinion... I won't be releasing everything in draft form, but sometimes it definitely helps.

http://www.northcapemusic.co.uk/news/

Remake vs Remix

2011-02-05T12:50:00.001-08:00

Recently I rashly promised to do a 'remake' of a track as part of a project where different artists are creating their own versions of tracks from a new album. I initially thought that this could be a remix, working with at least parts of the original, but hadn't realised that the concept was an entirely new version of the chosen track (no reuse of any wav files allowed!) This was quite daunting initially but I've made some progress and have a rough mix of something that will hopefully appear on the final compilation. The original album as a whole is in a different, more intense style to my normal listening, and is as much alternative (with vocals) as electronic, which has added to the difficulty of choosing a track to work on. I've tried to avoid subjecting anyone to my version of vocals and picked one of the more chilled, instrumental tracks... However, trying to interpret the original version of the track while making it sound like something by Northcape has still proved a challenge, but hopefully a worthwhile one! I'll let you know when there's more news on this.

http://www.northcapemusic.co.uk/news/

Northcape Website blog back up (again)

2011-02-04T08:48:00.001-08:00

I have now re-added the wordpress blog following some initial bugs. Please let me know if you spot anything else wrong with it. I have however given up on the planned complete site recode, it's not worth the time and effort by itself and is best included in the next site re-design. Wordpress itself is proving quite difficult for me to work with, the preset templates are fine but moving away from that to the kind of site I have got at the moment is by no means easy. I've therefore settled for a kind of compromise for the moment- the majority of the site, although re-coded in php, is not hosted in wordpress. The only page that is hosted in wordpress is in fact this blog... A bit messy in terms of the files involved but it does work and I'd rather spend more time on music. I may keep working on this in the background from time to time but I'm a bit frustrated with the sheer complexity of programming in wordpress as opposed to programming in html or even php. However the good news is this blog is now working with comments and all the other wordpress functionality, which was the initial objective! I just got sidetracked in to tidying up some code...

http://www.northcapemusic.co.uk/news/

Clear Moment Remixed- Credits

2010-09-17T01:20:00.000-07:00

Northcape- Clear Moment Remixed EP

Confirmed Tracklisting

1) Clear Moment (Metaphysical Mix by 2ndmouse)
2) Clear Moment (Zeropage Mix)
3) Clear Moment (Autorotation Remix)
4) Clear Moment (emorej Remix)
5) Clear Moment (Distant Fires Burning Remix)
6) Clear Moment (eyes cast down Mix)
7) Clear Moment (Absorb Fish Remix)

Artist Details

2ndmouse
Remix Credits: 2ndmouse
Website: http://www.2ndMOUSEofficial.com
Download: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B003U17720/believe-20/
Bio: The music of 2ndMOUSE is about the fusing together of emotion and technology, and its heart lies in the roots of Detroit techno and Kraftwerk. It’s a deliberate attempt to bring together the polar opposites of soul and microchip in a symbiotic way to make poignant and evocative journeys into territories most dance music won't go.

Zeropage
Remix Credits: Zeropage
Website: http://www.zeropage-media.com
Buy: http://www.jamendo.com/en/artist/zeropage
Bio: Zeropage are the two producers Stefan Fuhrer and Frédéric Arneberg from Bern, Switzerland. They have a chilled yet bright and melodic sound incorporating both instrumental and classic electronic elements. The duo started in the early 80’s, sold a few thousand CDs in the 90’s, did music for film, dance and jazz in 2000. Nowadays, they meet several times a month to experiment with sounds. With their long time experience in creating electronic music, their “jam sessions” often end in fully produced songs.

Autorotation
Remix Credits: music, vocals and lyrics by Autorotation
Website: http://www.autorotation.org
Buy: http://autorotation.org/cmsms/index.php?page=e-is-e
Bio: London based Autorotation blur the lines between several genres of music from electronica to shoegaze while avoiding being pigeonholed into any one category. Since forming, the group has released three albums and several singles on TeknoStan Records, Comfortstand Recordings, Periphery Records and TMBase. Autorotation performed live in the UK, Canada and Europe, sharing the stage with acts such as Styrofoam, Solvent, Rechenzentrum and Schneider TM.

emorej
Remix Credits: emorej
Website: http://www.facebook.com/emorej
Download: http://emorej.bandcamp.com/
Bio: Emorej makes a variety of electronic music. He is influenced by a lot of styles. Although the music cuts across the different genres, one key element in most of emorej’s sound is the melody.

Distant Fires Burning
Remix Credits: Distant Fires Burning
Website: http://www.doorchaser.tk
Download: http://www.doorchaser.tk
Bio: Gert De Meester (born may 17 1977), who is also known as the former bass player of the world-fusion-funk combo The Seven Laws of Woo and knob twiddler of The Mental Attack, 2?? and Distant Fires Burning, lives in Mechelen, Belgium. In 2007 Gert started to experiment more with ambient. He was asked to make the soundtrack of a commercial for the brand “Kinto”. At the same time he began to make an ambient album, because the genre drew his attention more. He renamed himself “Distant Fires Burning” just to state the difference with the more beat-oriented work by “The Mental Attack”. In 2008 he self-released the CD “Messierobjekten” as “Distant Fires Burning”. In 2009 he released the CDR "7 Sisters" and on April 14 2010, U-Cover Records releases the third album by Distant Fires Burning, "Build on Me", on it's sub label U-Cover CDR Limited.

eyes cast down
Remix Credits: eyes cast down
Website: http://www.eyescastdown.com
Download: http://www.eyescastdown.com
Bio: eyes cast down began his ambient/atmospheric musical explorations in 2005. Using guitars, synths, percussion, singing bowls, voices, samples & loops, he seeks to create personal and contemplative musical spaces. He also has a trio project, Keshava-Lila. The first solo and trio albums are both nearing completion.

Absorb Fish
Remix Credits: Absorb Fish
Website: http://myspace.com/absorbfish or http://soundcloud.com/absorb-fish
Buy: http://www.skprecordings.com/release.php?rel_id=17
Bio: Absorb Fish is an American electronic artist from Boston, MA. His sound could be described by ambient experimental electronics but often fusing various genres such as industrial, hip hop, broken beats, and downtempo. Over the years, he has contributed music to 3bass Records, Project 168, Artificial Bliss Recordings, and SKP Recordings. His most recent release "Frenetic", a dark electro fused EP, was released January 2010 on SKP Recordings.

Clear Moment Remix Competition

2010-05-09T04:44:00.000-07:00

EDIT- Competition now closed and tracklisting announced!
Tracklisting of 'Clear Moment Remixed':

1) Clear Moment (Metaphysical Mix by 2ndmouse)

2) Clear Moment (Zeropage Mix)

3) Clear Moment (Autorotation Remix)

4) Clear Moment (emorej Remix)

5) Clear Moment (Distant Fires Burning Remix)

6) Clear Moment (eyes cast down Mix)

7) Clear Moment (Absorb Fish Remix)

I'll announce when this is released
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi all,

Following the big success of my previous 'Red Panda' remix competition (you can hear and download the great results here), I've decided to try another one. This is of the track 'Clear Moment' from my new album 'Captured From Static' (chilled ambient-ish electronica, which you can hear here- http://www.northcapemusic.co.uk/music.html).
I've already cleared this with the label (Sun Sea Sky) and they've agreed not only to the remix competition but also that if there are enough results suitable for an EP they'll release it as a free download through the Sun Sea Sky website, obviously with the agreement of the artists involved. So the idea is

1) You can hear the original 'Clear Moment' here to decide if it's something you'd like to remix
2) Then get the remix pack (probably best in FLAC) from bandcamp- here
http://northcape.bandcamp.com/album/clear-moment-remix-pack. It's set up so all of the tracks start from the beginning of the main track, so some of them are silent at first. It's 120bpm.
Please note that your email address is just collected here to keep remixers informed on the progress of the compilation, and for no other reason :-)
3) Remix- in absolutely any style you want- but it must be a 'remix'- creative interpretation of this is welcome but it must noticeably use at least some elements of the original track! The remix pack is creative commons 'Attribution, non-commercial'. This means you're free to use the remix in any way you want, provided that it's non-commercial and credited as a remix of Clear Moment by Northcape. ie please use the naming convention for the track -Northcape - Clear Moment (Artist Mix). The reason for this is so it's clear its a remix of Northcape, and not a collab or something else! Thanks!
4) Then upload the result in 192kps mp3 here
http://soundcloud.com/northcape/dropbox if you want to enter it for the EP. I'd anyway like to hear any remixes!
5) Please note the deadline for the remix is Sunday 4th July- if it goes well I'll choose my favourite remixes for inclusion on the EP, and they will be professionally mastered and made available as a free download release (with the artist's agreement!) from Sun Sea Sky Productions. My decision is final ;-)
I'm especially keen to get remixes in a variety of genres and styles, hopefully some people will be interested!
Any questions, please contact me here.
Cheers,
Alastair

PIXSID - Atoms Apart

2010-01-17T11:13:00.000-08:00

PIXSID is an intercontinental collaboration between Sid (aka. DJ Sid-the Apocalypze) based in Ohio, USA, and Pixieguts (aka. Australian vocalist Marie Craven), and Atoms Apart is their debut album, broadly downtempo hip-hop beats, trip-hop and electronica with Pixiegut’s vocals. The album also features a remix by Sheffield, UK-based electronic producer Adrian Carter and was mastered by Canadian DJ Crimson Death. Lyrics on ‘The Sea’ are by Canadian Andrei Masliev. The title is therefore very appropriate given the huge geographical distance between the collaborators but Atoms Apart conclusively demonstrates that distance is no barrier to electronic collaboration (maybe there’s a reference to quantum mechanics here?). This is an album that could only have been made in the 21st century but before I get too distracted by the process, it’s the music itself that’s the point.

There really are some great tunes on this album and Marie’s voice has a fantastic clarity that has proven in the past to work with a huge range of electronic collaborators. It has to be said though that this particular collaboration is among the best that she has ever done. DJ Sid’s electronica is firmly rooted in classic hip-hop and downtempo electronica such as Portishead and Morcheeba. Sid also successfully cultivates the classic vinyl feel so successfully evoked by artists such as DJ Shadow, whose spirit can definitely be heard here. The production is full of subtle analogue warmth, giving the music texture through imperfection and a perfectly evoked modern urban melancholy. The soulful distant horn samples on the instrumental ‘Paper Hearts’ and the vocal track ‘The Sea’ for example gain force through their previous use in this genre. The superbly deep sine melody in the intro to the smooth ‘Soft and Hard’ is another case in point. Across the whole album the instrumental elements have an instinctive depth and power which attest to DJ Sid’s talent as a composer.
The solid beats are equally important to the success of this album as well as its overall sound, with a punchy hip-hop feel and some creative drum processing. I also like the use of remixes of some tracks, which helps to give the album a feeling of coherence. Adrian Carter’s remix of ‘Lullaby’ is particularly arresting as the most experimental point on the album, using vocal samples from Pixieguts as the rhythmic element under burbling acid synths. ‘Atoms Apart’ is a very solid album indeed with a deep, chilled downbeat and thoughtful feel to it – an appealing soundtrack to the concrete jungle.
If I had to pick out one track it would have to be the absolutely beautiful ‘Wish I’, which boasts a soaring, emotive vocal melody and lyrics ‘wish I was dreaming again, wish I was in that other place’, swept along by waves of synth textures and slow beats. This track is in fact provided in two versions, ‘Wish I’ and ‘Wish I (reprise)’ and my only complaint is that given the effectiveness of the guitar introduced in the second version it definitely should be longer! I really could listen to this track again and again. Highly recommended.

PIXSID - http://pixsid.blogspot.com/
DJ Sid The Apocalypze –www.myspace.com/apocalypze
Pixieguts – http://pixieguts.com

Voide: Red Turns To Blue

2009-12-26T09:07:00.000-08:00

Voide is a prolific and talented Swedish electronic music producer, based in Stockholm, who has been making music since the late 80s. He has been releasing tracks as Voide since 2006 and the latest album, ‘Red Turns to Blue’ comprises 14 tracks. Five of these are vocal collaborations, one with the German vocalist Suzie Electro and the remainder with the Australian vocalist Pixieguts. Voide’s musical style is heavily influenced by classic early electronica producers such as Kraftwerk and Jean Michael Jarre and these influences can be clearly heard on his latest full-length release. Voide’s considerable experience in making electronica is obvious in these recordings which contain some great, rich analogue sounds and are uniformly superbly mixed and produced. There’s nothing groundbreaking here, but at his best, Voide’s tracks have a flowing energy and drive provided by 303 sounds and other classic synths, and underlying smooth expansive melodies; ‘Red Turns to Blue’ isn't short of examples of this style.
My personal favourite track ‘Traffic’ has a fast, futuristic computer game feel, evocative of fast crossing streams of headlights on city highways and driven by crunchy, flowing techno sounds- this track rocks! The superb ‘Red Turns to Blue’ is a worthy title track for the album, its more soulful chilled and widescreen feel evokes huge, early morning skies, and Pixiegut’s vocals lift every track she appears on. ‘Into The Sun’ is a truly beautiful track, which glides over a wide, warm ocean powered by chugging 303-style analogue synths- this sound is classic for a very good reason.
However there can be a downside to Voide’s heavy use of classic electronic styles. Kraftwerk-inspired robotic vocals are overused particularly on the opening track ‘The Beat of You’ where the somewhat uninspired computer-sung lyrics and unoriginal feel detract from Pixiegut’s vocal. To be fair, Kraftwerk themselves aren’t always known for the quality of their lyrics! ‘When the Skies are Grey’ sounds a bit like Kraftwerk attempting a trance track, but fortunately also has plenty of the smooth techno momentum that is one of Voide’s biggest strengths and provides the glue that holds this album together.
However Voide isn’t scared to tackle a range of different electronic genres, the Madonna-esque ‘Love (feat. Suzie Electro)’ sounding like professionally sung and arranged 80s dance pop if nothing else, and ‘Necropolis (feat. Pixieguts)’ is a crunchy, unexpectedly dark if tongue-in-cheek slice of gothic electronica. The relaxed ‘Lazy’ is unfortunately again let down by its slightly uninteresting lyrics, but ‘Beauty for the Wicked’ shows that when Voide decides to experiment he can produce some interestingly structured and beautifully chilled electronica.
As a whole I found that “Red Turns To Blue’ misses a clear sense of theme due to the variety on display, and suffers from a lack of originality in places. However, despite these criticisms the album contains some very enjoyable and atmospheric tracks which I’d recommend to any fan of this genre, and a range of impressively well-produced material.

Voide's Homepage:
http://www.voide.net/
Pixiegut's Homepage:
http://pixieguts.com/
Suzie Electric:
http://www.myspace.com/suzieelectric

HealeyIsland: Not Afternoon, But Evening

2009-12-24T08:58:00.000-08:00

“Not Afternoon, But Evening” is the 2nd album from solo electronic artist HealeyIsland, signed to the White Label Music independent, and like his previous work is mainly electronic and an all-but-indefinable blend of lounge, techno, and downtempo influences. It’s an intriguing combination of sounds; the album explores the shadowy territory on the border of all these genres. As the title suggests, this album is darker than HealeyIsland’s debut release, though still containing snatches of humour in parts it has a dark, downbeat and introspective feel. The first few tracks on the album are low-key and instrumental- rather than making every track a big event Healey Island obviously knows what he wants to express, and slowly leads you into an album of considerable depth and subtlety.
“Your Final Journey” is the album’s first real statement of intent, containing bolder downtempo beats under a deep, eccentric lounge vocal and sparkling lead line. Slurred, indecipherable vocal samples complete the mix, lending the track a mysterious aspect that continues throughout the album. Like the next track, “Edwardian American Prefab”, much of this album edges into more uneasy territory with a lurking sense of self-doubt and accusation. “Ballad of a Nobody” is one of the standout tracks, and also the track that expresses this insecurity most clearly with the mocking humour of the lyrics addressed to a “shaven-headed fool” whose life is “way off track”, offset by bright cascading synths.
Although it often has dark undertones, the album as a whole is far from being unremitting gloom. “Moments After Joining” is one of the more upbeat moments, with a brilliantly exaggerated deep, smooth, unintelligible yet somehow euphoric vocal that feels like a celebration of the music in its lack of a need to be understood. A twisting jazzy instrumental and organic-feeling bass add up to make this my personal favourite from the album. “Red Car Crossing A Dimly Lit Bridge” contrasts this with acid electronic sounds, and more half-heard, distorted vocal samples return the sense of menace.
Euphoria never lasts for long before the album returns to lonely, twilight urban surroundings and smokey basement clubs. “Recriminations” is another standout, with more dark playfulness in the threatening, robotic vocal, before “Facsimile Fountain” which effectively utilizes a fast/ slow dynamic where some anger finally breaks through the surface in the more driving electronic sections. This is followed by the album’s one genuinely shocking moment, more so for the quietly restrained feel that much of the album retains despite its inventiveness.
“Not Afternoon, But Evening” is definitely head music- claustrophobic in places and understated in others, but crucially maintains a quirky creativity, coherence and balance between lightness and shade that make it a very rewarding listen.

You can find HealeyIsland here:
http://www.last.fm/music/HealeyIsland
http://www.myspace.com/healeyanalogueisland